5 Surprising Foods That Contain Gluten

Major food FYI

We're guessing you saw the hilarious viral video about gluten-free eaters who don't even know what gluten is. Pretty funny, right? Well, get this: There's even more to the gluten mystery than these people may think. That's because gluten—a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and some other grains—is one of those sneaky ingredients that is often lurking in unexpected places. So even if you think you know which foods have gluten in them (you can take our quiz to test your gluten IQ), we bet there are some items packing the protein that will surprise you.

To be sure you're up on your gluten game, we asked Lisa Young, Ph.D., author of The Portion Teller Plan, to list some surprising foods that could contain gluten (not every single variety of these foods contains gluten—but it’s important to check the nutrition info to make sure if you’re avoiding the protein). Gluten-free eaters, prepare to get educated...

Packaged tomato sauces. And no, it's not just because tomato sauce is often found on top of pizza and pasta—the sauce itself may contain gluten, too. Processed sauces often include food starches, emulsifiers or malt flavorings, all of which contain the G word.

Certain ricotta cheeses. Many types of ricotta cheese have gluten because they contain a grain-based vinegar.